[.ca] Glass Houses

From Amazon.com:
Billy Joel has always wanted to be a rocker. That he made his name on piano ballads and was relegated to soft rock radio even disturbs him, if recent interviews are to be believed. For 1980's Glass Houses, Joel opted to take on the new wave with his usual arsenal of classic rock poses. With his knack for melody in place, he connected immediately with a string of hits he never surpassed. "You May Be Right," "Sometimes a Fantasy," "It's Still Rock n' Roll to Me" and "Sleeping with the Television On" are as powerful and succinct as Joel gets. --Rob O'Connor

The Piano Man's third megahit!:
THE STRANGER was the first megahit,52ND STREET was the second,and this one,GLASS HOUSES is the Piano Man's third. Released in March 1980,this album brought ths first hit that same month,YOU MAY BE RIGHT. Other hits include SOMETIMES A FANTASY(not on GREATEST HITS VOLUME 1 AND VOLUME 2),the adult contemporary DON'T ASK ME WHY,and the ass-kicking IT'S STILL ROCK AND ROLL TO ME. The front cover shows Billy with his back towards the lens of the camera from which that photo was taken,with a rock in his hand,about to throw it through a pane of window glass. The back cover shows Billy behind the broken pane,dressed in different clothes. While promoting this album,Billy recorded SONGS IN THE ATTIC,his first live album,released in 1981.

Shattered:
Singer/songwriter Billy Joel began the 80's with Glass Houses, an album that has the artist veer away from the reflective ballads of the past, for a "harder" sound. The end result is a solid effort that features Joel letting loose and having fun. As it turns out, this "change" ended up being a good move as the new decade started. The recording features a few now classic songs from the "piano man" The music has a lot of energy that is maintained throughout. "You May Be Right", "It's Still Rock 'N Roll To Me", "Don't Ask Me Why", "Sometimes A Fantasy" and "Close To The Borderline", all showcase the fact that inside this man lies the heart of a would be rocker. Of course, Joel would continue to write in both styles, but by and large never lose his way. His music stays very consistant. The CD has 10 tracks, a running time of 35:07, and is highly recommended

Billy Joel--Glass Houses:
This is my favorite Billy Joel Album! What a mix of styles; Rock-n-Roll, pop, new wave and mellow Joel. The best song to me is "Sleeping With The Television On," where Joel says..."unless you take some chances dear...you'll be sleeping with the television on." The album is chock full of hits too! Buy it and enjoy!

A Classic Album - Expanded My Horizons:
Back in the December of 1980, this album was given to me as a holiday gift. Strangely enough, it wasn't until a prolonged illness in Fall 1982 that I actually listened to the album (guess I got bored of Simon & Garfunkel, the Beatles, and the few selections of Bach and Vivaldi I was listening to back then...) - and realized that there was, in fact, other music out there - and in the case of this album, there was other really, really great music out there...In fact, within 12 months I was listening to the radio, digging through my dad's (and even my sister's) record collection for new and varied music. But, as usual, I digress. "Glass Houses" is one of Billy Joel's two masterpiece albums. Even now, on listening to this album after having been almost complete jaded on Billy Joel's albums, there are really no songs here that I don't like. Almost every song on this album is a classic. Highlights? As with any album which I deem to be a masterpiece (and there aren't a whole lot of those around), every song here is a highlight, just about. Favorites include the funny and cynical "You May Be Right", the concise and catchy hit "It's Still Rock 'N Roll To Me", and the urgent lyrics and rocking piano of "All For Leyna". Maybe my favorite song on the album is "I Don't Want To Be Alone" which I love for its nice story of an underdog's efforts in love and for its nice back-up harmonies. "Close To The Borderline" is the closest Billy Joel ever comes to hard rock - and while it's not exactly heavy metal or anything, it is melodic and satisfying. I also love the last song on the album with its Beatlesque harmonies, "Through The Long Night" - the first time I heard it, I thought it actually was a Beatles song - pretty stuff, indeed! In sum, this album has six or seven songs which I just love - absolutely classic. The rest of the songs are also very good. This is as good as Billy Joel has ever done - a great album! A MASTERPIECE - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AND ESSENTIAL!!!

A CONFIRMED ROCKER:
This was Billy Joel's Rock album and the thing about his music is it's very atmospheric. Firstly, You may be right is as usual with Billy, about love but also his unusual personality, reflected in the cover phoot's. It's a straight-forward rocker. Sometimes a fantasy is the sort of rocker John Travolta would have sung, and it is a rocker but has an unusual instrumental bit, that sounds like he's using bouzuki's! correct me if I'm wrong. There's also a new age element to it. Don't ask me why is a typical Joel ballad, pretty good but I don't know why the ghosts will be killed "in the classic style"? It's still rock and roll to me is rock n roll and has a saxaphone instrumental. All for leyna is a rock/new wave love song mixing loud guitar, honky-tonk piano and a girl who doesn't want him \othe only girl he wants\cI dont want to be alone is a typical Joel love song, as is sleeping with the television on, easy-listening and atmospheric, as is Cetait toi \oyou were the one\c adn as the name suggests, he tries singing in French, which I think is not too bad at all, but the miserable lyrics make me wish he'd sung it all in French. Close to the borderline is a depressing punk song. Through the long night is a bit folky, with acoustic guitar, good harmonising and piano. All in all, a good album, enjoyable and light-hearted \omostly\c

• You May Be Right
• Sometimes a Fantasy
• Don't Ask Me Why
• It's Still Rock & Roll to Me
• All for Leyna
• I Don't Want to Be Alone
• Sleeping With the Television On
• C'Etait Toi (You Were the One)
• Close to the Borderline
• Through the Long Night